I guess I had my first lucid dream (and quite by accident)
I joined these forums a few weeks ago after a friend referred me here. I've been a good newbie, reading up on materials, but only tried the dream retention methods for about 3 days. I'm moving to another state right now, so I put it all on hold until I could focus more.
Last night I was dreaming as usual. I rarely remember my dreams these days.
I was at my grandmother's house coming out her front door after I had just done something inside that was pretty terrible and upset the family. I'm not entirely sure what I did though. As I was walking through the yard approaching the street I suddenly spoke aloud, "Oh @#$%! I'm dreaming!" And just like that, everything changed.
Now, I've read about what these experiences are supposed to be like. I'm quite aware that this sort of thing, coming out of nowhere, isn't very likely at all. I would even err on the side of caution and try to convince myself that it wasn't really a lucid dream, except I can't deny that it was such a huge departure from anything I've ever experienced in a dream before that it must be something.
In an instant everything around me change. The change came so swiftly that it reminded me of what it's like when a dream ends for me. That feeling that everything is spinning beyond your control. I was afraid that a moment later I might actually open my eyes. I suddenly had an outside view of my body, very clear. I saw myself standing there, blinking furiously, trying hard to keep my eyes open. I noticed that I only had one eye open at a time. I knew, standing there looking at myself, what I was seeing. It was like I was being shown why, during all those years of non-lucid dreams, everything was always so fuzzy. Compared to this now lucid dream, it's like normal dreams are dreams where your eyes are never fully open, or only open one at a time.
Everything appeared so clear to me that I fully expected the dream would end. I've had dreams before when things started to appear real and then I'd awake, noticing that my eyes were actually open and that what I thought was something in my dream was something that was actually right in front of my waking eyes being somehow projected into my dream.
I stood in the middle of the street, taking in the sights.
There's just no way to fully describe everything. I can now firmly say for anyone that might read this, when you have a lucid dream, you know it's happening. Nothing in a dream ever had such clarity. It's like a part of your conscious mind leaks over into your dreaming mind and takes over, enhancing everything about the experience. For once, the dream isn't fuzzy and seeing things doesn't come in little packets of vision, sound, or experience. It's one, full, continuous picture and experience that is fully clear to you.
I looked around at the trees, the road. It was all exactly like my grandmother's house. I simply couldn't believe everything could be so clear. I spoke aloud again, "If I'm really dreaming, then I can do THIS!"
I am always throwing fireballs in my dreams at people. I couldn't really say why. I am pretty obsessed with fire.
I attempted to throw a fireball like I do in my usual dreams. It was completely different. First of all, no "ball" came out. It was more like a stream of fire that ran along the road. I laughed aloud and said, "Well ok, that's going to need some work." I ran down the road looking at all the houses. People were outside all watching me as I ran by. I tried to run faster and faster, but running fast has never been something I could do in my dreams. I only ran as fast as I could.
I didn't document this as soon as I woke up. In fact, I called my boyfriend on the phone immediately this morning and began spewing out everything I had experienced as quickly as I could remember it. I wish I had been spewing into a microphone instead.
Fast forward to approx 1 hour later of completely lucid dreaming:
I found myself walking through a shopping mall and saw my brother. I ran over to him, "Tommy! Dude, I'm dreaming. We're in a dream! I've been doing this for like a full hour now. I can't believe it!" He said, "If we're dreaming then I can do THIS!" Now, it's hard to describe what came next, so here's the easiest way to imagine this. My brother broke out into a dance and it was like watching a 30 second Pepsi commercial. There was music, lights, and people dancing came out of nowhere. I saw corporate logos, but can't remember what they were. It all disappeared when he was done, and we both began laughing together. I thought it looked pretty cool, so I said "Hmm, let me try." Again, a flurry of action and dancing and music, just like some commercial, but for me I distinctly remember seeing a Mountain Dew logo fly by which is odd, since I hate Mountain Dew.
I have no recollection of the lucidity ending, or the dream. Perhaps it's for the best so that I don't have the experience of what it's like to have it slip away, just yet.
I decided to write this, more than anything, so that I could document as much of what was left as possible. I don't particularly expect anybody to read it, or to even believe it. All I know is that for the first time in my life in a dream, everything was different. If I should never have another lucid dream, this one was enough. It's an experience like no other and I count myself lucky. I couldn't be more grateful.
